The Last Spade
by Finallife
Summary: Vincent, the only member of the spade pirates to decline the invitation to join the Whitebeard pirates. He became a marine instead. Now after the battle of marinford he wants out, He wants to continue the legacy that his old captain left behind. P.S. Thank You so much to all the readers that have given me over 700 views, you guys are why I keep writing!
1. Chapter 1

The Last Spade.

Chapter 1

Two days after the battle of Marinford, Lieutenant Vincent Gainsbrough walked down the hallway to the office of Admiral Akainu. There were four guards posted outside the office, each of them were all accomplished fighters. One of the guards took notice of Vincent saying "State your business." Vincent responded "First Lieutenant Vincent Gainsborough, I was called here by Admiral Akainu". The guard responded "Wait there". He went inside the office. After a moment the guard stepped out and said "The Admiral will see you now". His eyes suspiciously followed Vincent all the way inside.

Inside the office it was uncomfortably hot even with the open window. Vincent was already in full uniform, as one does not meet with an Admiral without looking ones best, he became uncomfortably hot instantly. "Sit down." ordered the Admiral without looking up from his desk. When Vincent sat, he looked out the window. They were on a small Navy-base Island located at the edge of the Red Line in the East Blue. The view from the office window was beautiful, there were a dozen or so clouds, the seagulls filled the sky, the sea sparkled beautifully in the gentle wind, the sounds from the dockhands carried from the pier. There were four marine ships at dock. One of them was Vincent's, another was the Admirals.

Vincent had never been a proponent of Absolute Justice that the Admiral before him so rigidly followed. As such when he had fought in the Battle of Marinford he had been so disgusted by what he had witnessed over the course of that day that he had filed a discharge form that night. Of course with all of the confusion related to the loss of so many officers and the resignation of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp Vincent did not expect the request to be processed for several months. Vincent had been was actually in the process of travelling back to Shell Town where he had been stationed nearly a year ago after its' Ex-Commanding Officer had been proven a criminal and a new set of officers had been instated. Earlier in the day Vincent had received a priority message from his Den-Den Mushi ordering him to this outpost for a meeting with the Admiral. Of course he wasn't the only one, according to the rumor all of the highest ranking officers were making their way to the four corners of the planet to promote lower ranking officers that had been overlooked until now, and to encourage young men and women to join the marines.

Admiral Akainu finally looked at Vincent and said "Lieutenant, do you know why you were summoned here?" Vincent responded with "No sir". Akainu looked down at the folders on his desk. "These documents are the resignation request you filed the day before yesterday, the official report of your conduct in the Battle of Marinford, Your current service record with the Navy, and finally your criminal history … in its' entireity." Vincent was not sure what to make of this so he simply responded with "Sir?" Akainu looked Vincent in the eyes, Vincent felt like he was under a microscope, like he had no secrets before that gaze. "You preformed quite admirably in the battle, according to this report. You lead and protected you men, even after your Commanding Officer was killed. In that battle we lost too many good officers, and are in need of more."

Vincent figured he knew where this conversation was going, and he didn't like it. "Sir, if I may be candid, where are you going with this?" Akainu's look became a glare "Lieutenant, I refuse to accept your resignation. The documents have been filled out and given my seal of approval. Once you sign this document you will officially be Captain of Fog Base in the West Blue." As the Admiral was saying this he slid a piece of mostly filled out legal paper. Vincent finally lost his cool, he stood up and balled his fists but did not raise his voice. "No! I cannot continue being a marine after that bloodbath that you called a battle. Not after what you did to Ace!" Akainu seemed unsurprised by this reaction. "I am well aware of your prior life, Lieutenant. The bounty you earned, how you attained it, and your prior affiliation with the Spade Pirates as a crewmember. Your previous life as a pirate is exactly why I am not going to allow you to leave the marines. People with a criminal history such as yours should be locked up for life, not given a second chance in the marines. The law demands I give you this chance to live as a respectable member of society. Because of the services you have rendered the Marines, you are being given a position that you have earned, but also one where you can be watched." Vincent responded by turning his back to the admiral. He took a deep breath to stop his hands from shaking and calmly said to the Admiral. "Sir, I refuse to be a marine any longer. if you will not let me do it on paper then I will simply walk." Akainu responded by sighing, he had hoped that it would not come to this. The Admiral pushed a button on the underside of his desk. "By announcing that you are willfully admitting to a superior officer that you have plans to be a deserter. You will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." As Akainu said this his guards came through the door.

Vincent's arrest was a gentle affair. They cuffed him and led him out of the office. Vincent kept his dignity by neither struggling nor shouting. The Admiral watched them leave. He had half expected this to happen but he had hoped for another outcome.


	2. Chapter 2

The Last Spade

Chapter 2

Admiral Akainu looked down at the documents on his desk. He began perusing the contents of Lieutenant Gainsborough's criminal history. Former bounty of 32million beli, secondary swordsman for the Spade Pirates, notable for being able to realize when a situation was going to go bad, had managed to escape marine custody twice through unknown means, all in all a fairly resourceful but average pirate. Akainu pulled another file out of a drawer in his desk, it contained Gainsborough's history in the marines, nearly five years ago he had approached the marines asking to join in exchange for all charges against him being dropped.

As a marine he had risen through the ranks quite rapidly, becoming a junior officer in less than three years and now was a First lieutenant. When he had become a junior officer he had been stationed in a back water base that almost never saw any action in the outer reaches of the East Blue. After the incident with Morgan at Shell Base Vincent had been transferred to Shell Base and had been given the responsibilities of protecting trade ships and occasionally investigating pirate sightings. In the year that he had been doing this he had been extremely successful, making the already peaceful East Blue almost pirate free. The grand total of the bounties that he was directly responsible for added up to 42million 400thousand beli (Remember that the average bounty in the East Blue is only 3million beli, and a high bounty is considered to be 10million).

Since joining the marines he had been undergoing some serious training. He had been learning Rokushiki, already he had mastered Soru (high speed), Tekkai (Strong defense), and he was in the processes of learning both Rankyaku (slashing type of shockwave) and Geppo (jumping off of the air, to create the illusion of flying). Reports also indicated that Vincent was capable of using Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki, the ability to predict things in the near future and the ability to sense living organisms around oneself within a certain area) however he himself was completely unaware of it yet. Couple this with his already prodigious sword skills the lieutenant was already above the strength of an average marine captain.

If Vincent Gainsborough ever left the marines and returned to piracy he could be a force to be reckoned with. "I will not allow another X-Drake to happen" Akainu said to himself. Akainu hated pirates with a passion and believed that no pirate should ever be able to wear the proud uniform of the marines. He felt that all pirates should just be killed on the spot. As things were Akainu couldn't just execute the Lieutenant, he had never so much as put a toe out of line; every report that his superiors had ever written had placed him as a calm, calculating, and obedient marine. This troubled Akainu more than anything else; ex-pirates _always_ gave problems when they joined the marines.

Admiral Akainu settled down to think the situation through.

*NOTE: the reason that Akainu is involved with Vincent is because of his previous association with Portgas D. Ace, who was before he was captured one of the most fearsome pirates on the sea.*

Vincent sat alone in his cell. He had decided not to struggle when he was being taken to the brig. If he had struggled there was no chance that he would have been able to retrieve his sword, which he had left on his ship. His sword was the "nobara Kahen" or "the petal of the wild rose", one of the Ryo Wazamono Grade Swords (the 50 great quality swords.). Not only was it his most valuable possession it was the only memento that he had taken from his time as a member of the Spade pirates. He had gotten it as his share of the loot on their very first successful campaign against another pirate crew.

Vincent looked at his options, aside from the admiral and his four guards he was probably the strongest person on this island, but they were enough. Escape was going to be difficult while those people were on the same island. His best option would probably be to breakout of his cell in the dead of night as quietly as possible then retrieve his sword and escape in a dingy. If Akainu got wind of it there would be no way that Vincent would survive, that man was just too ruthless.

Just then Vincent heard footsteps. A stout man with a bit of a pot-belly walked up. It was Kaba the cook for the ship that Vincent was currently in command. Kaba was a good man, and an even better cook; Vincent had earned his respect shortly after they had met each other by swabbing the decks when one of the marines had slipped and broken an arm. "Lieutenant I heard that they locked you up, how'd that happen?" The cook asked with a bit of a grin. "Honestly Kaba I'm resigning from the marines; the admiral didn't want to hear any of it. So I told him that the only way he was going to stop me would be to lock me up, and here I am." Vincent responded. "Lieutenant, you're planning something, I can see it in your eyes." Kaba said looking at Vincent. Vincent looked down each end of the hall he was on, there were no guards there. "Kaba, I'm going to escape this night and I'm willing to take anyone who is as fed up with the marines as I am with me." Kaba didn't look too surprised, the two men had gotten to know each other pretty well since they had been stationed together. "I'll let them know, we will meet you on the west dock at 2hundred hours" said Kaba. "Don't forget my sword" said Vincent as kaba was walking off.

Chapter 2 End

I apologize if it is a bit too wordy, I wanted to give Vincent some backstory


	3. Chapter 3

The Last Spade

Chapter 3

Vincent sat in his cell waiting for the moon to rise. He knew what he wanted to do. First he wanted to visit Aces'' grave; he wanted to share one last drink, he wanted to retell some old tales, maybe some new ones too, and above all else he wanted to grieve for his lost friend and mentor. Secondly, he wanted to kill Akainu. Vincent knew that both of these tasks seemed almost impossible right now, Aces' grave was somewhere in the second half of the Grand Line, and that Akainu was a Marine Admiral one of the strongest fighters alive. But he had to take this one step at a time; he had already been to the new world once, so he knew what to do. Going through the grand line would surely strengthen him. When he reached Aces' grave if he didn't feel strong enough he would just keep fighting in the new world, until he was the strongest there was!

The moon was beginning to rise it was almost time to escape. Again Vincent heard footsteps it was one of Akainu's guards. "The Admiral is willing to give you another audience, upon the condition that you apologize for the disrespect that you showed him. He wishes to discuss your future in or out of the marines." stated the guard. "You can go tell the admiral that he is a cold hearted murderer with the most twisted sense of justice I have ever known. No matter how hot his body may burn his blood is still cold. Tell him that for me" said Vincent, who immediately turned to face the wall, signaling that there, was no conversation to be had.

As soon as the guard left Vincent got to work. Using his Rankyaku he began cutting the bars on his window. Because he had to be quiet and because he had not fully mastered the technique, it took nearly 20 minutes but finally all the bars were gone. Even though they were on the fourth floor Vincent made the drop easily, using Geppo. When Vincent had gotten to the meeting point he found four people there. Kaba was among them. "All right lets shove off; we have to get out of here now!" said Vincent as Kaba handed him his sword.

When they were out of the harbor Vincent looked at the men for the first time. One of them was Jensen an oarsmen on Vincents' ship. Another was Shikki a doctor from the bases infirmary. Finally the last person Vincent didn't know. "What's your name?" asked Vincent. "Maka I was a combatant on the Admirals ship." Said the woman. Maka looked to be about 30, she gave the impression of being made of iron that had always thought that nothing could break it, but it finally did. She looked tired and broken to Vincent.

"All-right here is what I am going to do. My current destination is Crescent Island. I'm going there to return to piracy. Anyone who does not wish to join me need only say so." said Vincent. Jensen looked around and said "I don't want to be a marine anymore but that doesn't make me hate piracy any less. Drop me off in that fishing village that's between here and there." "Same for me" said Shikki. "Crescent Island may be a den of murderers and thieves but even they have to eat, I'll follow you that far Vincent." said Kaba. Everyone looked as Maka. "I don't know what I want anymore, but I sure don't want it to be boring, I'll go with you until I decide to do something else."

"Fine by me, now that we are going to be traveling with each other for some time we should probably get to know each other better" said Vincent as they sailed off into the night.

Akainu had just received Vincent's message, and he was infuriated ! When he got his hands on that pirate bastard there wouldn't even be bones left! Akainu stormed down to the brig; when he got there he paused, the cell was empty. The guard following the admiral immediately unlocked the cell, and took a look inside. After a short inspection he found that the bars of the cell had been put back in place to temporarily fool anyone who looked at the cell.

"Vincent Gainsborough is officially a pirate again! Reinstate his bounty, and raise it to 45million. Get on the den-den-mushi and inform every marine base, everywhere, that Vincent Gainsborough "The Last Spade" is to be shot on sight!" Roared admiral Akainu.

NOTE: I am literally just making this up as I go along. Everything that happens in every chapter is as much a surprise to me as it is to you the reader. I have no idea what lies in store for Vincent. I hope all who read this are enjoying the story.

PS. – I am a full time College student, so I might not always be able to update in a timely fashion.


	4. Chapter 4

The Last Spade

Chapter 4

Crescent Island appeared in the early morning horizon. The gang would reach it before noon if the weather held. In all the East Blue Crescent island was the only true haven for criminals; its rocky ground made it worthless to farmers, its location was far away from any profitable market areas, and above all marines never went there.

Vincent pondered how he was going to get a reliable enough crew to enter the Grand Line with. He would figure it out when they got there. He looked over at Maka. When the voyage had started she had claimed to be a combatant while in the marines, but almost immediately she had stated that she would be the doctor for whatever crew that Vincent would be able to scrounge together. It made Vincent curious to no end, but she had offered no explanation and Vincent was not willing to push her in the emotional state she was in. Unless she was specifically asked a question she wouldn't answer, she just stared off like she was expecting to see someone, always with the same sad and forlorn look.

"Kaba are you sure that you don't want to join my crew and cook for us?" asked Vincent. "Sorry friend, I've heard tales of the Grand Line and I don't have the heart or the stomach for that sort of thing." Responded Kaba. "It's no problem, I just wanted to ask before we made port. Hey, Maka I'm running dry on ideas on how to get a crew together for this trip to the grand line. Do you have any ideas?" asked Vincent. Maka shook herself out of her reverie long enough to respond "Why don't you organize a tournament, winner take all. The only ones who can participate are the ones with bounty's of 3 million or more, and the organizer of course. The winner can take as much or as little as they want from the participants and the crews that they captain. That should get their interests up." Maka, that's brilliant, I never would have thought of that! That's it in addition to being the doctor I want you to be the first mate to my crew, unless you object of course" Responded Vincent. This time Maka didn't respond. "Then it's settled. But as my first mate you're going to need a pirate nickname. What do you want to be called?" asked Vincent. "I don't want anything right now, just leave me alone for a while please." Said Maka, ending the conversation.

By midmorning they had made port at Crescent Island. As soon as the trio stepped out of their boat they were regarded by suspicious eyes from all over, these people were too clean, they didn't have that jaded look about them, and worst of all their boat had the marine logo printed on the sail. An old man that was at least seventy walked up to them, in a rheumatic voice said "My name is Yamon, I am the master of the dock and guard of crescent island. Marines are not welcome here and they know it, state your business here. Quickly before I die of old age." Vincent responded "My name is Vincent, this is Maka, and Kaba. We are all marine defectors. Kaba is here to become the chief cook for the island. Maka and I are here to make a pirate crew, sail the Grand Line, and visit the grave of Portgas D. Ace." Vincent was surprised, he hadn't meant to say so much. "Oh ho! That's quite a journey you have ahead of you. You seem surprised that you told me so much. That my young friends is because I ate the Truth Truth fruit, no one can lie to me. That's how I got the job of dock master here. Well good luck with the crew my young friends the pub is just over that rise, and you-" he said pointing to Kaba "come with me, we are in sore need of a good cook on this island."

When Vincent and Maka entered the pub they found it absolutely quiet except for one table in the middle of the room. The place looked like it would normally be energetic and boisterous, a place where everyone would have a good time; but right now not even the pianist was playing. The loudest man at the table was wearing a candy-cane striped top hat and was flanked by two beautiful women. "Another round for me and my boys here!" Slurred the man, obviously drunk. As the bartender was passing out the drinks Vincent approached the man in the top hat. "Excuse me, but do you know if anyone on this island is willing to go with me to the Grand Line? I need a crew rather badly." As soon as Vincent asked the three other men around the table stood up and pointed their pistols at Vincent. One of them shouted "The only people who are gonna go the Grand Line are us, the Hopalong Pirates!" "Now now boys, the man was only asking me a question. As my subordinate just stated we are planning to go to the Grand Line very soon if you prove your worth I might let you join my crew." Said top hat man. "How about a counter proposal, I am going to be hosting a tournament to make one pirate crew very rich and powerful." Vincent then proceeded to explain his plan for the tournament.

Once he was done top hat said "this is all well and good but you have nothing I want, your woman is too old and I already have a ship, so I don't need yours. Why should I join your tournament, what do I get from you?" Vincent noticed that the man had stopped slurring his words perhaps this man was more clever than he appeared. He held up his sword "this is the Nobara Kahen, it is worth as much as a small town produces in a year. If you beat me you can have it, in fact if you win the tournament, you can have anything and everything that the people who participate have. That is assuming your bounty is high enough for you to enter. What is your bounty by the way?" Top hat responded "my name's Barry Findley, captain of the Hopalong Pirates, and my bounty is 18 million. You are looking at the most notorious pirate in the east blue! If you can get together enough pirate crews I will join your little tournament and I will take that sword from you."


	5. Chapter 5

The Last Spade Chapter 5

Akainu was preparing to give chase to Vincent. That insolent pirate had angered a Marine Admiral, nothing short of a miracle would save him now! One of Akainu's personal guard came up looking hesitant. "Sir I have some, rather disturbing news. . . Commodore Laousha did not report for duty this morning, along with three of Pirate Gainsbrough's former crewmates. A thorough search has revealed nothing. It appears as though they left the island last night. The only boat that is missing is the life raft that Gainsbrough stole. It appears as though they were either kidnapped or abandoned their posts as Marines. Given the strength of the Commodore the former is highly unlikely."

Akainu was stunned, Maka had been his right hand for several years. She was a loyal follower of Absolute Justice and a good friend of his. Akainu responded "Until we have proof we will assume that they have been kidnapped and redouble our efforts to capture Gainsbrough. His arrest is our highest priority at the moment."

Akainu was on the prow of his personal battleship leaving port to follow Vincent when that "miracle" happened. A chore-boy ran up to Akainu "Admiral, Sir! There is a highest priority communication coming from Fleet Admiral Kong for you." The boy held out a red Den-Den-Mushi. Akainu picked up the receiver "This is Akainu". "You are to come back to Marine HQ immediately regardless of whatever you are doing at this time. Sengoku has resigned from his position as Fleet Admiral. You have been nominated as the next Fleet admiral along with Admiral Akoji. I repeat return to Marine HQ immediately. That is all." Akainu knew better than to defy this order, but he wasn't going to leave without a parting gift…

One week had passed since Vincent had issued the challenge to pirates on the island. Once the Hopalong pirates had agreed to it, every single pirate in the East Blue wanted in. The filtering process of a three million beli minimum bounty had drastically reduced the number of pirates capable of entering. In the end after a week only seven pirates, and Vincent, were available. The tournament was slated to begin at noon later that day.

The other pirates that had been able to join the tournament were all clever, elusive, and notorious pirates; some of which had managed to get away from Vincent on his patrols. At the top was the captain of the Hop-along Pirates Barry "The Bunny" Findley with a bounty of eighteen million. Followed by the acting captain of the Krieg Pirates Gin "The Man Demon" with a bounty of fifteen million five hundred thousand. In third place was the first mate of the Hop-along Pirates Saldik "The Beheamoth" with a bounty of eleven million. Immediately behind Saldik was the captain of the Mist Priates Koga "The Trickster" with a bounty of seven million. Tied in at fifth highest bounty were the co-captains of the Coin Pirates Karry and Perry "The twin pirates" at five million each. Finally at the lowest bounty was the captain of the Blank Pirates, Layton "the faceless" with a bounty of three million Beli.

Aside from the bounty, there were two other conditions to meet for entry into the Pirates Tournament. You must have Yamon (the dock keeper) verify that you were who you said you were, and you must put up the most valuable or desirable possession you own for all to see. The victor of the tournament would get all of those prizes and whatever else they wanted from the competing crews. Boats, Crewman anything goes, but only for the victor.

All in all there were seven valuable prizes to be had: The Nobara Kahen- Contestant Vincent, the solid diamond ring of a world noble- Contestant Barry, A small two foot tall solid gold statue of the legendary bird Roc- contestant Gin, a breastplate made of sea-king scales- contestant Saldik, a bottle of a rare and powerful neurotoxin- contestant Koga, Two chests of valuables such as gems and gold- contestants Karry and Perry, finally a bag of one million beli in cash- contestant Layton.

The tournament was organized with three judges to determine a victor for each match. The first Judge was Maka, the keeper of the prizes. The second Judge was Yamon, keeper of the peace and resolver of disputes. The third Judge was the Islands head doctor Laupa, to treat any injuries that will arise. The three judges preside over each match and make sure there is no foul play in motion. The rules for the match pairings were simple, lots were drawn to see who would be fighting whom. The only weapons not allowed in the fight were firearms. A fighter loses if they are knocked unconscious, step out of the ring, all three judges agree on a participants loss, or finally if one participant surrenders. Foul play was determined as outside help during or between matches, or attempting to kill your opponent. There was no time limit set to the matches.

In order to avoid being unfair to the contetstants only two matches would be held per day. Lots had been drawn to randomly determine who would be fighting whom. The results were as such, in the first bracket: the first match-Barry "the Bunny" versus Karry "the twin". The second match Perry "the twin" Versus Koga "the trickster". In the second bracket: the first match Gin "the Man Demon" Versus Vincent. The second match Saldik "the Beheamoth" Versus Layton "the Faceless". The winners of each match would determine who would be participating in the semi-finals.

A small "stadium had been constructed in the center of the island. All that it was really was a ring of flat ground surrounded by bleachers. The first match was scheduled to begin at two pm that day. Contestants Barry "the Bunny" veresus Karry "the Twin".


	6. Chapter 6

The Last Spade Chapter 6

The first match of the Tournament of Pirates was finally here. The three judges were in their viewing box and the contestants were in positions at the opposite ends of the arena. Yamon stood up and stated "Contestants will stop before killing each other. Begin!" As he said these words both Barry and Karry felt a force flow through them.

Karry "The Twin" was the only female pirate participating in the contest. She had become famous for her acrobatic skill coupled with her plate mail gloves and boots in combat. She was a very serious woman who had broken many men that thought her easy prey. "You shouldn't go easy on me just because I'm a woman. I won't hold back, If I beat the great Barry Findley I'll be famous all across the East Blue!"

Barry "The Bunny" Findley was famous across the East Blue as a gambling man, willing to bet almost anything for an appropriate payout. In addition to that he had sacked two separate Marine bases just to kidnap a doctor that could help one of his crewmates that had contracted tuberculosis. Because of this he had earned two things. His current bounty and the admiration of all Peace-Main pirates in the east blue. He was well known for his pitch black cane and red and white spiral striped top-hat. "You don't have to worry about me holding back, you have to worry about what will happen if I don't. I strongly recommend that you withdraw from this fight Ms. Karry."

"Bastard!" Karry screamed as she charged him. A few feet before she reached him she leaped into the air spinning her whole body forward in a double legged axe kick. Barry stabbed his cane into the ground as Karry leapt, took a step forward, and grabbed her just above the left leg and just above the left hip. Using her own momentum against her he threw her forward. Karry was able to continue her roll and get up on her feet. "If I had wanted to I could have tossed you out of the ring. Do you realize how outmatched you are yet?" asked Barry.

Karry looked down at her feet and realized that she was less than a foot away from the boundary line. She had almost lost by ring-out. "Don't look down on me!" she roared at him. Once again she charged him, this time she feinted pretending to go for a right leg swipe, while she was actually going for a left straight. Barry fell for the feint he jumped up into the air just enough to dodge the leg sweep. There was a resounding THWACK, through the arena. Barry had blocked with his cane. "H-How did you block that? My punch has shattered swords." Asked a shocked Karry. "You could say this is a very special cane." Responded Barry. He retaliated by swinging his cane onto Karry's right shoulder. There was an audible crunch as her collar bone snapped.

Karry screamed and fell to one knee. On the sidelines Yamon was talking down her brother Perry from interrupting the match. "Please just give up, I would really rather not harm you further." Said Barry. "Not yet, not yet!" shouted Karry coming up from her kneel with a raising leg strike. The attack was so swift that it knocked Barry's hat off as he moved to dodge. The whole arena which had been making catcalls and all in all quite noisy up till this point went dead silent. The top of Barry's head was covered in a mess of light brown hair and two rabbit ears that each stuck about a foot above his head.

"I really don't know why you are all so surprised, I earned my nickname for a reason." Said Barry as he picked up his hat and returned it to its proper place. "and as for you, I see now that you won't give up, so I have no choice." Before Karry could react he dashed forward considerably faster than she had done. He punched her in the stomach, spun around and elbowed her at the base of her head as she was doubling over. Karry "the Twin" fell to the ground and did not rise.

Laupa the Judge rushed forward and checked Karry. He stood up and stated "The victory of the first match goes to Barry, by knockout. The next match will begin in one hour." Immediately Perry and Maka rushed over to the prone Karry. "I am a doctor I can help you treat her wounds." Said Maka. The three of them proceeded to carry Karry over to the emergency tent.

Nearly an hour had passed and the second match contestants were position. The matchup was Perry "the Twin" versus Koga "the Trickster". Yamon stood up and said "I will repeat my last warning, You will stop before killing you opponent. Begin!" he said this while staring at Koga. Again both contenders felt a force flow through them.

Karry "the Twin" had become famous in battle for being able to redirect cannon balls with his broad tip pole-arm. He was also famous for standing his ground in a fight. He was overly protective of his sister and as a result had received several wounds in her place over the course of their adventures, his most prominent one was that on his left hand he was missing the last two fingers. "Lets make this quick I need to see my sister."

Koga "the Trickster" had become famous for his dangerous tactics, his favorite was to shoot cannonballs into a town from just outside port and when the cannon balls landed on the ground they would release a powerful sleeping gas. While this was not normally dangerous the gas did not diffuse into the atmosphere quickly, several people had died from being in this deep sleep state. Another favorite tactic of his was putting up smokescreens and poisoning his weapons to immobilize his enemies. These cowardly tactics had earned him his bounty. "Oh you will see your sister young man, unfortunately for you will it will be on a gurney."

The battle began with Koga reaching into his sleeve and throwing a small ball at Perry. Perry sliced the ball causing it to explode in his face, it was a flash bomb. Koga closed the distance between them and pulled a curved blade from his belt and slashed Perry's left arm. At this point Perry recovered from the flash bomb and brought his pole-arm up to slash at Koga. Koga tried to dodge backwards but was only partially successful, he received a large gash diagonally across his chest. Koga threw a smoke bomb down onto the ground at Perry's feet and retreated several feet.

At this point Perry began to feel woozy, he realized that Koga's blade must be poisoned! Perry dashed forward out of the smoke only to find Koga waiting for him with a straight knife stabbing straight at Perry's eye. Perry grabbed onto Koga's wrist and twisted forcing him to drop the knife, Perry used his other hand to jab at Koga's left leg. Koga shifted his weight to his right leg, when he lifted his left leg a blade popped out of the boot. Koga swung his bladed-boot at Perry's midsection, it caught him just below the ribs. Ignoring his pain Perry let go of Koga's arm and dropped his pole-arm in order to grab Koga on either side of his head and give him a full contact head-butt.

Koga reared back from the force of the head-butt, falling on his rear. He looked up to see Perry's pole-arm pointed at his throat. "I yield!" Koga almost shrieked. "The victory for the second match goes to Perry "the Twin". Shouted Yamon

Perry smiled, turned around to walk over to the emergency tend and collapsed coughing up blood. The poison had caught up with him. Maka and Laupa rushed over to him.


	7. Chapter 7

The Last Spade Chapter 7

Perry began writhing on the ground. "He's having a seizure! I need to know what was given to him before I can do anything more than sedate him." Said Laupa. Maka stood up and turned to face Koga. Koga was on the ground puking and retching. Yamon was standing next him "You defied the truth of my statement, therefore you are paying the price." He said with a scowl. By this time Maka had reached the two of them, she bent down and picked Koga up by his shirt, until his feet no longer touched the ground "You will tell me what poison you used, or I will end your existence here!" She snarled at him.

Vincent and Kaba who had been watching everything from the sidelines were shocked at this. Maka was a small woman, less than 6 feet tall who couldn't have weighed more than one hundred and thirty pounds was lifting this man, that had at least fifty pounds on her, with just one arm! Not only that but she was angry, Maka hadn't shown emotion since either of them had met her. Vincent jumped the guard rail ad dashed towards Maka, "Maka! Don't kill him!" Maka dropped Koga like a sack of potatoes and dashed over to Perry. Whereupon she began an urgent discussion with Laupa. They both took Perry into the emergency tent and closed the flaps behind him. Vincent looked down at Koga "What just happened?" he asked Yamon? "She threatened him and he gave her a vial of the antidote" stated Yamon simply. "That woman isn't human! I looked into her eyes and saw a monster there! It was like looking into the eyes of a sea-king" Koga said shakily. Koga stood up and said to Vincent "I am done. I'm leaving this island I withdraw from the tournament. You can keep my prize." Koga then dashed off to join his crew and leave the island.

Yamon as the last judge available stood on the announcing podium and said to the audience "This match concludes the first day of the tournament. The first match of the second bracket will begin at eleven a.m. tomorrow. Good day". After he was done Vincent walked up to Yamon and asked "Why was Koga puking? You were acting like you had something to do with it." "I did, do you rember what I told you a week ago? I told you that I had eaten the Truth Truth fruit. Not only can people not lie to me but I can make my statements the truth. In my younger days it was much more powerful, I could even warp reality to a limited extent, but it is weakening as I age. That is why I retired from piracy, but make no mistake I am still strong enough to handle any ruffian or rule-breaker on my island." He said with a bit of a grin.

At this point Karry walked out of the emergency tent with her entire chest and right arm wrapped heavily in bandages. She walked over to Vincent and Yamon. "They are still working on him, but they say that he will need at least a week to recover. He won't be well enough to fight in his next match the day after tomorrow. What do we do?" she asked Yamon. Yamon responded sternly "If he cannot fight he either must find someone from his crew to take his place or resign the match". "No he is the strongest person in our crew, no one else would stand a chance against that man (*Barry*). When he wakes up I will talk to him." Karry walked back to the emergency tent.

By this point the arena audience had mostly cleared out. Kaba walked up to Vincent "C'mon my friend we are having a feast to honor the brave contestants of the tournament tonight. I'll show you the best meal you have had this side of the Grand Line. Just show up at the pub in a few hours. Until then I have a surprise for you." Kaba waved at someone who had been waiting by the bleachers, the man ran up holding a burlap bag. Maka reached into the burlap bag "I know that you are a swordsman, but you gave up your sword to enter into the competition so I figured I would help you out a bit." Maka pulled out a katana from the burlap sack. It was a well kempt katana, but it was not of a very good quality. "Maka, I don't know what to say, I really appreciate the gesture; but I don't know if I will be able to use this sword." Said Vincent a bit hesitantly. "why is there something wrong with it?" asked Kaba. Vincent grabbed the hilt and drew the sword "no there is nothing wrong with the sword itself but I am used to a very different blade. The Nobara Kahen is a Nodachi and it weighs nearly three times as much as a standard katana. If I use this blade I will be limited to very basic techniques." Said Vincent. "Oh … well you should keep it anyway it might come in handy." Replied Kaba.

Later that night at the pub the party to celebrate the first night of the tournament commenced. Word of Kaba's skill at cooking had spread across the island and because of that the place was standing room only. The contestants all got seats of honor at the front of the room. The only two contestants not present were Koga, because he had withdrawn from the tournament, and Layton. No one knew where Layton had gone off to, but there was still a chair laid out for him, just in case he showed up. Vincent noticed that while Perry had managed to attend he looked rather pale and sickly.

Barry walked up to Perry "I am sorry to hear about your condition, my friend. Do you still plan on competing against me?" Perry looked at Barry "After what you did to Karry I wouldn't miss it for the world. You had just better be ready for me, You haven't seen even half of what I can do." Barry grinned a bit "That is quite a fire you have in those eyes I will see you on the battlefield."

While Barry was talking to Karry and Perry, Vincent walked up to Gin "You know this is the second best food that I have ever eaten" said Gin before Vincent could say anything. "Really and what is the best food you have ever had?" asked Vincent. "It was just spiced rice and fresh water, but it was cooked by a great man, a pirate like myself. You have probably heard of him he is rather famous." Replied Gin holding up his glass with a smile. "What's his name then?" asked Vincent "Black-Leg Sanji, Cook for the Straw-Hat Pirates, and a good friend." Replied Gin. "You're telling me that you know a pirate worth 77 Million Beli Personally? I might just have trouble beating you tomorrow." Vincent said. "If you can defeat me, that is" said Gin.

Thus the night went on and everyone present was merry, there was loud and boisterous music, the rum flowed freely, and the bets for the next days matches were exchanged. Suddenly a man came in Looking stunned, He was holding a wanted poster. "Vincent Gainsbrough! You had better have a look at this, You have a bounty of Forty Five Million Beli!" Gin looked at Vincent with Surprise "I didn't know you had a bounty." "Niether did I" Responded Vincent.


	8. Chapter 8

The Last Spade Chapter 8

Vincent made his way over to the man who was holding the bounty. "Why haven't I heard about this before?" "News Coos don't deliver to Cresent Island." Responded the man, while he held out the new wanted poster. Vincent took the wanted poster. It looked real enough. Everyone in the room was looking at him. A forth five million bounty nothing like that had been heard of since Strawhat Luffy and before that, Fire-Fist Ace. "Just what did you do pray-tell that earned you a bounty of that height beforw you even enter the Grand Line?" Demanded Barry.

"I would assume that it is because I escaped from the custody of a Marine Admiral after insulting him. …" Responded Vincent a bit sheepishly. "Are you insane!? You're gonna be the reason we all die!" Shouted Gin "We've got to get out of here!" somebody from the crowd screamed. Instantly it was a stampede for the door when a powerful voice shouted above the din "BE STILL!" everyone was forced to stop. The voice belonged to Yamon "Vincent showed up here eight days ago after spending three days at sea. If the admiral was going to pursue him he would have arrived here days ago. Listen to me *his voice took on a soft and hypnotic quality at this point*, this island is as safe as it has ever been. Do not let this event trouble you or anyone else. Now return to your seats and go back to having fun." Every single person in the room, including Vincent returned to their seats. As much as Vincent knew that he should be more concerned about his bounty, he couldn't be.

Yamon walked up to Vincent "Didn't I tell you that I could handle anything that happened on this island?" "I suppose you did. Umm could you, I don't know, turn it off for me? This is kina important…" requested Vincent "Of course" replied Yamon as he made a hand gesture. Vincent immediately looked down at his bounty again. It had a picture of him in his marine uniform, full dress garb, 6'2", bright green eyes, straight black hair that reached down to shoulder, and finally the Nobara Kahen. A beautiful sword with a three and a half foot blade, and a thirteen inch handle. The sheath was a deep red the shade of a black rose, each end of it was decorated with a red rose, the stems of the roses circled down the hilt until they intersected in the middle. Of course it couldn't be seen, but the blade of the sword itself was unique among all other blades in the world because it was a pale hue of silvery pink, whenever drawn the sword would release a subtle scent of roses. It always reminded Vincent of walking into a garden. The hilt-guard of the sword was composed of black-steel rose stems with all of the thorns pointing forward, a reminder from the crafter that even a weapon as beautiful as this one was still a weapon designed to do ugly things. Finally the hilt was fairly standard for a Nodachi but the wrapping was a deep blue. Below the picture was the standard "Dead or Alive" marker and below that was his name, "Vincent" the small print on the bottom left had a summary of his crimes. Vincent was mildly surprised that his exploits among the Spade Pirates had been instated in addition to his recent jail break.

The full impact of what he was seeing hit him. He was both proud and worried about his bounty. He had expected to receive a bounty somewhere along the way, but not so soon. Bounty hunters from everywhere would be coming to get his head, and so would other pirates for the fame and glory. On the other hand it was almost unheard of a bounty this high originating in the east blue, before entering the Grand Line. The only people that he knew of that had done this were Monkey D. Dragon and Ace, It filled him with pride and pleasure to be so close to those famous names. Vincent looked at Yamon "Well I had better get to bed early, ya-know big day tomorrow." "I will see you on the field to Judge your performance, then." Responded Yamon.

As Vincent was walking out Maka caught up with him, she was clearly a little inebriated. "Wait up! I need to talk to you, Captain" "Why don't we go back to my room I can pour you some tea and we can talk" responded Vincent. Once they were there Maka sat down in the only chair, she waited until she had a cup of tea in her hands before saying anything.

"You asked me a week ago why I decided to join you. Well there is a bit of a story that goes with it. Ninteen years ago I fell in love and got married, a year later I had a baby boy. My husband died of a stroke when the child was barely a year old. As a young widowed mother I had very few options left available to me, so I joined the world government. They helped me raise my child. After seven years they realized that I was capable of more than just secretarial work, they realized that I could fight and that I could lead. So I was transferred into the Marines as a captain, I got lucky I was put under a Vice-Admiral. His name was and is Sakazuki Akainu. We quickly became close personal friends and visited each-others homes and families. Akainu became my son's hero almost overnight, he wanted to be just like him. Serving out justice and protecting the poor. Five years later my son was thirteen and he was finally allowed to join the marines as a chore boy. They told me that he was every bit as talented as his mother. Of course there were problems but nothing that couldn't be worked out. He grew so fast it is hard to believe looking back on it. Before I knew it another five years had passed and he had become a Marine Captain stationed at HQ. He was at the Battle of Marinford. *Maka pauses for a moment to steady her breath* He fought alongside the marines bravely, near the end he was badly injured. He died because of those injuries, not because they were too severe but because Admiral Akainu ordered the fighting continue, to ignore the wounded. My Son, My Baby Sebastian died because of the man who I considered my closest friend."

Maka said all of this softly while staring at her tea cup, keeping her face obscured. Vincent could tell that she was crying. "I didn't know what to do, so I left. You told me your story before we reached this island. After considering everything for a week I think your decision to kill Akainu is the right one. I will support you as your ships doctor and as your first mate. I won't fight unless I absolutely have to though, I have done more than enough killing in my lifetime. What do you say?" Maka asked finally looking up. Her grey eyes had become puffy from the crying, but they were looking at Vincent intently. "I say that you are the best possible person that I could have run into leaving that island. Maka I am honored to have you aboard my crew."


	9. Chapter 9

The Last Spade Chapter 9

Vincent stepped into the ring. It was ten thirty A.M. and it was drizzling. Vincent and Maka had stayed up late talking and getting to know each other better. At about three in the morning Maka thanked Vincent and left. The match was about to begin, Vincent needed to focus on the task at hand. He needed to win the tournament if he was going to get a reliable crew to sail through the Grand Line. If he lost there would be no chance of him getting there, and he would lose his most prized possession in the process. Across from Vincent was Gin with his trademark steel-ball tonfa. He was clearly ready to fight.

Yamon stood once again at the podium and said "The rules are unchanged from yesterday, you will not kill your opponent and you will stop fighting the instant you have won. Begin!" Both participants dashed to their right making a large circle. Gin was the first to attack making a dash at Vincent while swinging his left tonfa low to the ground forcing Vincent to jump to avoid it. Using the momentum of the first swing and taking advantage of Vincent's airborne state he planted his left foot on the ground in front of Vincent he did a full spin and brought his right tonfa right at Vincent's chest. Vincent grabbed on to the handle of the tonfa with one hand and the ball end with the other; also using Gin's momentum he pushed the tonfa down as it was coming towards him. This caused Vincent to do a forward flip over the tonfa. Vincent responded to Gin's attack by landing on his left foot and kicking Gin in the back with the other. Gin foresaw the attack coming and rolled with the blow. Gin stood up and stared at Vincent, calculating his next move.

Vincent was surprised; he hadn't expected Gin to be this good. Vincent did not want to use his Rokushiki techniques; he was hoping to keep them in reserve until the final battle of the tournament. The problem was that Gin was a fast, strong, and agile fighter. Not only that his tonfa would crush Vincent's current sword if he tried to block with it. On the other hand his sword was light weight, he could use hit and run tactics with it. Vincent was really missed his sword right now, without the Nobara Kahen it was like fighting with one leg in a cast. 'Well let's see what I can do. I'll just pretend it's training.' Vincent thought to himself. As he drew his katana Vincent dashed towards Gin.

Gin was ready for Vincent. He swung his right tonfa at Vincent's midsection. Vincent ducked under it and stabbed forward with his katana at Gin's chest. Gin spun on his left and swung his left tonfa low to the ground, he caught Vincent at the ankles knocking him to the ground. Vincent rolled onto his stomach and jumped back several feet to avoid Gin's follow up strike. The tonfa left a crater in the ground right where the center of Vincent's chest would have been. Vincent was getting frustrated, those tonfa were a tough combo to beat. Suddenly Vincent realized Gin's weakness.

This time Gin came at Vincent. Believing that he had Vincent on the defensive Gin pursued his advantage. As Gin was closing the distance Vincent threw his katana at Gin's face, this threw off Gin because he had to use his right tonfa to bat it out of the air. As Gin was batting the Katana Vincent dashed forward and got in under Gin's defense. Vincent grabbed Gin's right arm at the wrist and just behind the elbow and spun around to his right. As Vincent was spinning he pulled back with his right arm (latched onto Gins wrist) and pushed forward with his left hand, this caused Gin's elbow to have a severe dislocation. Gin was forced to drop his tonfa, while in severe pain from the dislocation he did not lose his battle sense.

Gin retaliated by planting both of his feet in the ground ahead of him canceling out the swinging momentum that Vincent had built up for a throw. Gin turned his body and swung his left tonfa straight at Vincent's head. This forced Vincent to let go of Gin's arm in order to dodge. Vincent noticed that he was not too far from his Katana and where Gin had dropped his tonfa. Vincent ran over and grabbed both. "Do you even know how to use those?" asked Gin. Not once had Gin taken his eyes off of Vincent. Gin was ignoring the dislocation of his left elbow, because to fix it he would have to drop his other tonfa, which would give Vincent the chance he needed to finish the fight.

"Actually I have no idea how to use this, but I do know what to do with it." Replied Vincent. Right after he said that Vincent threw the tonfa far out of bounds so that Gin could not use it for the rest of the fight. Vincent readied his katana, it wasn't his sword but it might hold up to this technique. Both Vincent and Gin dashed forward "Last Petal of Autumn!". The fight was over in an instant. Gin was on the ground and Vincent was behind him. Gin was bleeding from both thighs and his left shoulder had been crushed entirely.

Yamon stood up as Laupa and his crew dashed over to Gin. "The first match of the second bracket goest to combatant Vincent! The next match will begin at one pm." Vincent walked over to Maka and Yamon "Well what do you think, have I earned my bounty?". "What was that last move you did? I could barely follow it." Asked Maka. "The Last Petal of Autumn. It is one of my finishing techniques; I stab each of my opponents' legs and then do a diagonal slash at one of their shoulders. Normally it would have been more effective but with the restriction of no killing I had to use my sword backwards and hit him with the blunt side." Responded Vincent. "I am rather unimpressed. I thought you could do considerably more than that in a fight." Said Yamon. "Actually I can, but I want to keep some in reserve for the final round of the fight. If I was fighting at my fullest ability, with my normal sword, the match would have been over in an instant. That being said, I was impressed with how strong Gin was." Responded Vincent. "Well I look forward to seeing you there using everything you have against Barry. It is sad to say but Perry could not beat Barry even if he was at his best." Said Yamon. "you should go and get a celebratory drink, Captain." Maka told Vincent with a little smile on her face.


	10. Chapter 10

The Last Spade Chapter 10

The time was twelve forty five. Vincent was in the stands again next to Kaba. "Thanks for the sword. It really came in handy." "You're welcome, my friend. By the way, we are hosting a feast tonight and every night following until the tournament ends. From here on out the victors all get a place of honor. I hope that you are the one to sit in the place of honor, in the final night." Replied Kaba. "after what I have seen it looks like Barry might be my only challenge." Said Vincent.

Both contestants were in the ring at this time. Saldik "The Behemoth" the first mate of the Hopalong Pirates he had a shock of orange hair and had black eyes. Saldik stood about six foot five, he wore from neck to foot, dark brown, crude leather body armor complete with shoulder and knee pads. He had earned his nickname for the massive stone hammer he carried with him as a weapon. His battle prowess was known across the East Blue, one of his favorite tactics was to either cripple an enemy ship by destroying their masts and control rudder or sink them by punching holes in the hull with his hammer. In fights only the quickest or the strongest enemies were able to stop or dodge even a single swing of his hammer. This earned him his bounty of eleven million beli.

On the other hand Layton was a complete unknown. There were no rumors of him doing anything of note. No one knew how he had attained his bounty. The only thing that made sense was his nickname. Laytonlike the rest of his crew he wore an all black cloak that fell down to his ankles. Underneath his cloak was an all black attire. The hood of the cloak was up over the back of his head. His face was covered by a plain white mask, with no defining features. It simply had slits over the eyes and nose. Every member of the crew dressed exactly the same, so they were easy to pick out of the crowd. The only thing that separated Layton from the rest of his crew is that there was a black stripe that went vertically down the mask. Vincent hadn't noticed on previous days but there Layton had a massive crew of nearly a hundred people. They were all dispersed throughout the audience, filling nearly half the bleacher space.

It was time for the match to start. Yamon stood up from the judges box. "Once again the rules remain the same. Begin!" Layton lifted up his right arm, in his hand was a large yo-yo. He began to spin the Yo-yo in circles around himself. At this point Saldik ran forward with his hammer at the ready. Layton did not react to this at all. When the distance was closed, Saldik Jumped up in the air and brought his hammer down at Layton's head. * FWOOMP * The only reaction that Layton had taken was to raise his left hand and intercept the course of the hammer. The hammer had been stopped completely.

Saldik Landed and made some distance between himself and Layton with a confused look. Layton just stood there spinning his yo-yo. After a moment Layton spoke for the first time. "That should be enough." Layton stepped forward and swung his yo-yo at Saldik . Saldik stood there and grabbed onto the Yo-yo "Do you honestl-" Suddenly the yo-yo exploded in Saldik's hand. When the smoke cleared Saldik was still standing but he had dropped his hammer and he was cradling his mangled hand.

Layton had closed the distance in this time "Let me return to you the gift that you so kindly gave me a moment ago." Layton smashed his left hand into saldik's face. Saldik was shot across and out of the arena. Layton walked up to his yo-yo, which had not sustained any damage from the explosion, and picked it up. He looked up to the judging box "Don't you have something to announce?" he almost hissed at the judges.

Everyone was in shock. This unknown pirate with a measly three million bounty had just destroyed one of the most notorious pirates in the east blue. Yamon stood up "before declaring your victory we must determine what weapons you used. We must verify that it was you who fought and not the power of one of your many allies." Yamon was saying what everyone else was thinking, he must have cheated. Layton was silent for a moment "Technology, the nature of which I would rather not go into at this time. I would be willing to show one of the judges, but no one else.

The judges agreed to this. Yamon would go into the discussion box, which had been set up for the judges. While that was happening Laupa and Maka went over to Saldik who had been knocked unconscious by the force of the last blow. Saldik had been burned on the entire left side of his body. His arm had gotten the worst of it. From the elbow up the skin was completely blackened and burnt. His face had been hit so hard that his nose had been flattened and he had lost nearly all of his teeth. Barry and the rest of the crew had gone to his side the moment he had fallen out of the ring. "That bastard! This is a tournament of good will. We are not supposed to destroy our opponents, it defeats the purpose! Can you help my first mate?" asked Barry to Laupa. "honestly I think he is going to have to lose the arm. He won't die from these injuries, but he will never be whole again." Responded Laupa. "He can't lose that arm. He needs it to fight with. Please I am begging you! Save my friend, all of him." Pleaded Barry. "I am afraid that it is beyond my abilities and facilities." Replied Laupa mournfully.

Maka spoke up at this time. "I can save his arm, but I am going to need blood, of the same type that he has. Also whomsoever offers, cannot tell anyone how I save his arm." One of the crewmembers spoke up, it was a young girl of maybe fifteen "I'm Tilly I have the same blood-type as the first mate, and I'm also really good at keeping secrets!" she said earnestly. "I am sure you are" said Maka with a small smile on her face.

The entire crew carried Saldik to the emergency tent and waited outside until the operation was done. About twenty minutes in Yamon and Layton stepped out of the discussion box. Yamon stood up on the podium and announced "Layton has after much deliberation won the match fairly, he will be moving onto the semifinal round. Rember that there will be another celebratory dinner at the pub tonight at seven o-clock. The semifinal rounds will begin tomorrow at two pm."

Vincent walked up to Laupa, who had been refused admittance to the emergency tent. "What do you think she is doing in there?" he asked. "I haven't a clue. There isn't a single thing that I could have done but, from what I have seen she is more knowledgeable than I am. Maybe she knows something that I don't know about burns, but I cannot for the life of me understand why she didn't want my help." Replied Laupa. "I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens"

Three hours went by. During this time Vincent and Barry shared a conversation. Both began to know each other better. By the end of the three hours Vincent and the whole crew were sitting around in a circle sharing drinks and laughing boisterously. "Do you mind if we have some of that?" everyone turned. The voice belonged to Saldik. He, along with Maka and Tilly were standing at the flap of the tent. Considering the condition he had been in Saldik looked amazing. He was bandaged from hip to head, his arm was in a sling but he clearly still had all five fingers, and there was some sort of green mash in his mouth that he had removed to speak. "only if the good doctor says that you can drink." Responded Barry with a grin on his face. "I think a drink is just what the doctor ordered." Responded Maka while she took an entire bottle of rum from Barry and began drinking. Shortly thereafter the part moved from the competition grounds over to the pub where they were treated like royalty, at the expert hands of Kaba.


	11. Chapter 11

The Last Spade Chapter 11

The semi-finals were underway. It was one o-clock in the afternoon. The stands were beginning to fill up with spectators. The side betting was getting more and more popular every day. Vincent walked up to Perry, who still looked a little pale. "Are you sure that you are going to be ok to fight? That poison hit you pretty hard." Asked Vincent. "Yeah, I think I am going to be fine. Besides I promised Karry that I would quit if I think that I will lose for sure." "All-right I won't tell you not to fight, but just don't kill yourself trying too hard." With that Vincent walked back into the stands, to join Kaba.

After some time the participants entered the ring. Barry with his candy cane top hat and black wood cane. Perry with his broad tip pole-arm. Perry had had some time to cool off and was acting much more cool and collected than he had the other day when Barry had demolished his sister. Barry did not appear too worried but he was eying Perry's pole-arm with a good deal of respect. This time Laupa stood up "Remember whoever wins this battle will be participating in the final. Begin!"

The contestants started at the same time. Perry raised his pole-arm and charged. Barry held onto his cane as if it were a katana and dashed in towards Perry. Just before they reached one another Perry swung his pole-arm, coming from his right, into the ground and pulled up a clod of silty dirt; flinging it at Barry. As soon as he did this Perry reversed the direction of his swing, now swinging to the right. He did this so that he could catch Barry as he tried to dodge the dirt clod. Instead of dodging low as Perry expected Barry jumped. Barry completely cleared Perry's head by two feet, as he was moving through the air he did a one hundred and eighty corkscrew so that he was facing Perry when he landed. Barry landed about five feet behind Perry's back, as soon as his feet touched the ground he thrust his cane towards Perry's exposed back. As Barry was doing this, Perry continued his swing and collapsed his legs so that the end result was him balancing on his right fist (which was holding his pole-arm as well) perpendicular to the ground, and Barry's cane thrusting harmlessly overhead.

Barry followed his thrust with a left leg sweep to knock Perry down. Perry rolled out of the way and managed to get to his feet in time to see Barry doing a tornado kick, as a follow up of the leg sweep, right at his head. Perry brought his pole-arm up and managed to stop Barry's kick. The force of the impact made him slide to the side a foot and a half. Barry pressed his advantage by again thrusting his cane at Perry's chest, which Perry promptly parried. Barry used the opening created by the parry to strike at Perry's now completely exposed right ribs, using his left hand. The strike winded Perry and forced him to jump back to make some distance. This extremely close range fighting did not allow for him to make full use of his pole-arm.

By this time Perry was beginning to breathe hard. He still hadn't recovered completely from his fight with Koga. "You had better be as good as your reputation suggests, otherwise this next attack will kill you" Perry said to Barry. Barry cocked his head in curiosity. Perry grabbed onto his pole-arm with both hands and all of his muscles tensed. "Gungir!" he shouted. Suddenly Perry shot forward like he had just been fired from a cannon. Barry watched as Perry closed the distance seemingly unsurprised. When Perry had nearly reached Barry, Barry ran towards Perry at an angle so that he passed by the deadly lance "An attack that simply increases your speed just makes you less maneuverable." Said Barry in a matter-of-fact tone.

As Barry was saying this he noticed that Perry was nowhere to be seen, and if Barry couldn't see him that meant that -! Barry was forced to dodge again because Perry had charged him from behind. Perry was so close that his Pole-arm ripped through the coat that Barry was wearing. As soon as Perry missed Barry he turned to face Barry once more and continued charging.

The move was so simple it was almost laughable. Perry was just charging ignoring all forms of defense to add to his speed, maneuverability, and strength. Just because it was simple didn't mean that it wasn't deadly. Barry was being pushed to dodge. Once he tried to deflect using his cane. That action earned him a large gash on his right arm. "I have had quite enough of this!" Growled Barry as Perry closed in for the umpteenth time.

Using his immense leg strength Berry jumped straight up into the air. Perry who was simply focused on following Barry jumped straight up after him. Barry was able to reach nearly five feet higher into the air than Perry. Perry still attempted to thrust at Barry, which was what Barry was waiting for. Now that they were both airborn a parry was simple. Barry then grabbed onto the shaft of Perry's pole-arm and used it as a bracing device to bring both legs down towards Perry's lower chest "Hare's Leap!". Barry released from the pole-arm as he was bringing down both legs. Barry kicked off from Perry so strongly that they flew in opposite directions, Barry another twenty feet upwards into the air, and Parry hurtling downwards towards the ground.

Perry landed on the ground in a heap, Barry landed next to him after a few seconds. "your sister did not exaggerate when she said you were strong." Complimented Barry to the barely conscious Perry. Maka stood up to the podium of the judges as Laupa was rushing over to the contestants, "the victory goes to the contestant Barry. He will be participating in the final match tomorrow.".

Laupa first examined Perry, after a moment he backed up as Perry stood. "you shouldn't be moving, you have very likely damaged your spine young man." "I am fine, just a little bruised. You hit me pretty hard back there." Parry directed the last part towards Barry who was having his arm bandaged by his ship doctor. "You know, if you trained a little harder you could become very strong." Replied Barry. With that exchange they left the field, Perry to the medical tent at the insistence of Laupa, and Barry back to the stands to rejoin his crew.

An hour later the second match of the day was about to begin. Vincent and Layton were both in the arena. Layton's crew filled the stands, as impossible as it seemed there were more of them than there were yesterday. Come to think of it Vincent didn't rember seeing a ship or even several ships that could hold a crew of that size at port. Yamon stood at the judges podium preparing to announce the start of the match when Layton raised his left hand and stopped him. "May I say something before we begin this match?" Layton asked. "Of course" responded Yamon kindly. "NOW!" Screamed Layton at the top of his lungs. Suddenly the stands of the arena erupted with Layton's crew responding to his call. The first thing that Vincent noticed was a Bolas (basically a rope with weights to entangle prey) wrapped around Yamon's upper body, and that there was one of Layton's crew on Yamon's chest with a pistol pointed at his forehead.


	12. Chapter 12

The Last Spade Chapter 12

Vincent looked around. The arena was in chaos. Fights had broken out all over the stands, but the crew of Layton was powerful. Pirates were falling to them left and right, even the Hopalong crew was having trouble. Barry was amazing he was fighting a full twenty of Layton's crew single handedly. Aside from the Hopalong pirates the only crew that was doing measurably well, were the Twin pirates. Karry and Perry were showing off their famed teamwork taking out several members of Layton's crew before they were brought to heel. After some time even Barry was stopped and held down to the ground by five men. Vincent himself was surrounded by thirty of Layton's crew almost immediately.

Layton himself waited until his crew was done with the primary portion of the combat before he spoke. "Every pirate on this island is under arrest by the authority of the world government! You will be taken to the nearest Marine base for processing, should any of you resist we will kill you on the spot." Vincent glared at Layton and asked "Who are you people?!" "We are Cipher Pol Number Four, here under the authority of Admiral Akainu." Layton turned to Maka "Commodore, in addition to the arrest of these criminals we are also here to rescue you, and Ship Cook Kaba. We had orders to rescue another two men, but after careful investigation we discovered that they were marine defectors and were put to trial immediately. Will you willingly return to your post? Or will we treat you the same as this rabble?"

Maka looked at Vincent "Captain, what are your orders?" "Defeat the enemy, obviously. You protect Yamon and Laupa, we are going to need them after this is done and over with. Oh, and hand me my sword." Responded Vincent. "Roger" affirmed Maka ,who jumped over the judging table to the prize display case. She reached in and grabbed Vincent's Nobara Kahen and tossed it to him. She did all of this in less than a second. Vincent realized from this display that Maka was probably faster than he was.

At this point Barry spoke up "Layton! So you're a dog of the government! I guess that cordial relations are no longer necessary." Suddenly Barry disappeared! The five men holding him fell in a confused jumble. Suddenly Barry appeared in front of Layton with murder in his eyes. Barry jumped into the air and swung his cane downwards towards Layton, who just barely dodged the attack by jumping backwards. "You're a Zoan!" Layton shouted in surprise.

"Yes I am, and now I am going to show you my fury!" Barry declared. As he was making this statement Barry began to transform. His legs inverted, his body became furry, his eyes became bigger, and his fingers grew into small claws at the end of the last knuckle. Most importantly Barry took off his top-hat. Barry dashed forward towards Layton at a speed that easily matched any Soru. "Slicing Hare!" Barry spun as he was dashing towards Layton bringing his right leg down at a diagonal angle. This caused a shockwave to erupt from his foot moving many times faster than Barry himself was, directly at Layton.

The shockwave moved so fast that Layton couldn't react to it. The wave struck him dead-on slicing him from his right shoulder to his left hip. Layton however had a trick up his sleeve, underneath the slash a shimmering came forth. Layton in return shot his yo-yo at Barry. Instead of catching it, Barry gave it a wide birth. This was a good move on the part of Barry because when it was fully extended the yo-yo exploded again. This explosion was many times larger than the one that had nearly killed Saldik. Thus the battle between Layton and Barry had begun.

When Barry escaped from his captors, the entire arena fell into chaos. Vincent noticed it all at once. Saldik had been waiting for his Captain to make his escape. When Barry did this it threw Layton's troops into confusion. This gave the Hopalong pirates the opportunity to make a counter attack. They all grabbed their weapons once again (Saldik was using a one handed Sledgehammer to fight with.) and began cutting through the enemy ranks. It was quickly discovered that, like their leader they were all wearing body armor. The armor stopped most edged weaponry but was weak to blunt weapons. Needless to say, Saldik was thrilled.

Very few of the Krieg pirates had shown up to watch the match. When the clamor had arose they were on their ship. "Captain, you have to wake up, you can't just keep sleeping. You're going to be the strongest pirate ever, Rember?" Gin said to the comatose pirate Admiral Krieg. "Acting captain!" one of the crewman rushed into the room. "Yes?" inquired Gin. "There's something wrong at the arena. The Blank Pirates are attacking everyone. "Gather the men. We might need to wipe them out." Commanded Gin. A few minutes later The entire crew of the Krieg pirates was outside the arena. They had arrived in time to hear Barry shout "Dog of the government!" and they rushed in to attack the Blank pirates.

This distraction caused by the Krieg pirates allowed to Twin pirates and their crew to retaliate. Karry and Perry were at the front leading their small crew to the Krieg pirates after some time the two crews merged together to fight. In addition to the two crews stragglers from the audience were joining constantly. The two conflicting forces had become separate armies. The pirates on one side with about one hundred and fifty people, and Cipher-Pol- four on the other numbering around eighty. While the pirates outnumbered the enemy, Cipher Pol had better equipment and body armor. The battle seemed evenly matched.

Maka had returned to the judges box to find Yamon's captor unconscious. Laupa had knocked him out with a steel pipe. He was busy untangling Yamon from the Bolas ropes. "It is made of Kairoseki, help me get it off of him! Yamon was not faring well to the effects of the sea stone. He was pale and shaking. "I can't help you with that but I can defend you." Said Maka, turning to face the ten men who were bearing down on the judges. She moved past them like water. The conflict could not even be called a fight. The men were unconscious, no they were sleeping. One of them was snoring. Laupa looked at her amazed. Maka returned to Laupa to keep watch for anyone else who would try to attack them.

All of this had happened just as Vincent had gotten his sword. Vincent drew his sword, taking in all of his surroundings. He was against thirty soldiers who were difficult to cut. This shouldn't be too hard. "One thousand thorns." Vincent charged the soldiers that were directly in front of him. His sword was so sharp that it cut through the body armor as if it were butter. A dozen of the men fell to the ground dead each of them cut at several places on their bodies. Vincent turned to face the remaining soldiers who were all either firing on him or charging him on either side, creating a pincer attack. "Tekkai." Vincent stood still allowing their attacks to bounce off of him. "Geppo." Vincent Leapt high into the air. "Petal Storm!" Vincent then swung his sword creating shockwave after shockwave to rain down upon his opponents.

Vincent landed on the ground, most of the soldiers that he had hit were on the ground, moaning in pain. His shockwaves weren't good enough yet to pierce the body armor. They weren't dead but they were out of commission for a while.

Vincent took another look around. Layton had the upper hand in the fight against Barry. No one would come near Maka, Yamon, and Laupa anymore, because the moment they got within fifty feet of Maka they would fall asleep. The fight between the Hopalong Pirates and Layton's men was all but finished, Saldik had proved infinitely effective against the enemy. The fight between the two armies was going badly for the pirates, Karry and Gin couldn't fight at their full potential due to their broken bones, and Perry's Pole arm was not very effective against the enemy. Vincent bagan moving in the direction of the two armies.


	13. Chapter 13

The Last Spade Chapter 13

Barry wasn't too worried about his crew. They were strong enough to take down a large portion of Layton's troops. Barry was concerned however with the enemy in front of him. In his right hand he held an exploding yo-yo, and in his left hand he could stop any of Barry's attacks and retaliate with the same amount of force that Barry himself had given. In addition to these things Barry could not attack from a distance because of Layton's body armor. Layton, however could. That yo-yo was a real problem, the force of the explosion was determined by how long Barry spun it around himself but even the small ones were dangerous.

In their conflict no serious blows had been dealt by either side, but Barry was getting the worst of it. If it hadn't been for the speed granted by his half-human half-rabbit form Barry would have been incinerated several times now. His cane had been able to stop all of the attacks from that strange object on Layton's left hand but every attack that was blocked jarred Barry's arm a little more. He needed to figure out how to get close and quick otherwise the outcome of the fight had already been decided, and not in Barry's favor. "Dials! He is using Dials from the islands in the sky! Barry, break the dials!" Barry looked over, Yamon was shouting at him from over the din. Barry heard the truth in the words and understood how to break them.

Layton used the distraction to shoot his yo-yo at Barry one last time. Barry saw it coming at the last minute. Instead of dodging as he had all times previously Barry intercepted the projectile and smashed it with his cane. The resulting explosion was the largest one yet. The combination of the breath dial and flame dial exploding was enough to throw nearly everyone in the arena off of their feet. Barry was nowhere to be seen. The only people who seemed unaffected by the extreme strength of the blast were Layton and Maka.

Layton took earplugs out of his ears, with a bit of a smirk. He looked around the arena assessing the situation. The judges panel was seemingly untouchable with Maka there. The Hopalong pirates were the closest group to the explosion were just starting to pick themselves up off the ground. Before the explosion they had just finished off the last of Layton's troops and were preparing to attack the majority of Laytons troops that were fighting the Krieg pirates and the Twin pirates alliance. This is where Layton's troops had been most effective. Nearly half of the pirates had been fighting with whatever they could get their hands on and because of that they had been easy prey for the well-equipped, well armored soldiers of Cipher Pol Four. In addition to that all three of the pirate leaders had been hurt in previous fights. Only around ten of Laytons troops had been taken down, whereas nearly ninety of the pirates had been taken down. Both sides were beginning to recover from the explosion. Standing in laytons way was none other than the pirate with the highest bounty on the island.

Bleeding from the ears but still standing was Vincent who had been able to use Tekkai to stop himself from the worst of the blast. However even the strongest defense doesn't protect your hearing. Layton reached into his pocket and pulled out another dial for his, now empty right hand. Vincent raised his sword, Layton went into a deep stance. Both contenders were squaring off when Vincent looked behind Layton with surprise on his face. Layton turned around, Barry was standing there blackened from the tip of his ears, to his feet. Both of his rabbit ears were bleeding, but he was alive. Layton couldn't believe what he was seeing! There had been no way out from that explosion, . . . except up. But that blast had been nearly a hundred feet high. It didn't matter, Layton now had two opponents to worry about.

As Vincent was getting ready to face off against Layton he saw Barry land behind Layton. Some sort of shock must have showed on his face because Layton turned around to see. Barry raised his (amazingly enough) undamaged cane in preparation. Barry waved at Vincent, gesturing at him to go fight against the large group of soldiers that Layton commanded. As Vincent turned around, Barry and Layton began their battle anew.

Vincent decided to join the hopalong pirates rather than attacking the horde of enemies alone. As soon as Vincent and Saldik rammed into the rear of Layton's army the tides turned for the pirates on the other side. Vincent and Saldik seemed unstoppable, with Vincent's ability to cut through their armor and Saldik's ability to completely ignore it. After nearly ten minutes of fighting more all of Layton's troops had either been killed or taken prisoner. The only thing left to do was to wait for Barry and Layton to finish their fight.

The dial that Barry was using on his right hand was an Axe dial. What had saved Barry's life was his seemingly indestructible wooden cane. Hits from Layton's impact dial did not splinter it, nor did hits from his Axe dial cut the cane. Barry on the other hand had managed to get a few close range hits in on Layton now that his yo-yo had been destroyed. Layton was finally tired enough for Barry to use his finishing move. "Spike wall!" Barry thrust his cane forward an innumerable number of times creating the illusion from the speed of a hundred spikes shooting from the front of Barry. Layton blocked as many of them as he could with his Impact Dial after a few dozen hits the impact dial reached its maximum capacity for storing energy and it shattered, causing all of the accumulated impacts the blowback onto Layton himself. Barry pursued Layton and hit him several dozen times as he was flying through the air. Layton landed unconscious on the ground. The battle had been won.

Of the nearly three hundred people present, only fifteen had escaped injury, over half of them had become temporarily deaf, about fifty of Layton's men had been knocked unconscious, only about twenty pirates had been knocked unconscious. This was because Layton's men had been brutally efficient in making sure that the pirates didn't ever get up again. Eighty three pirates had been killed, whereas only seventeen of Layton's men had been killed. Everyone else had some kind of injury or another.

The pirate doctors had been forced to turn the local pub into a makeshift hospital. Treatment for injured pirates went on for three days. Layton's men received no such treatment. Many of the pirates had wanted to just execute Layton and all of his men outright, but Yamon had stopped them. At the end of the first day the island was bombarded by two marine battleships. After the initial scramble to get out to sea, the marines were driven back. After that there was always a patrol around the island, but the marines did not come again.

The three leaders throughout all of this were Barry, Vincent, and Yamon. Yamon acted as a coordinator for everyone on the island making sure that everyone worked together in the emergency situation. Vincent sailed the Krieg pirates ship when on patrol; after swearing to Gin, with Yamon present, that he would not steal it and would treat it as if it were his own ship. Barry sailed his own ship with the twin pirates backing him up when on patrols. Everyone on the island grew to respect and admire these three for their leadership abilities.


	14. Chapter 14

The Last Spade Chapter 14

On the third day after the battle Yamon walked up to Vincent as he was leaving patrol. "The Krieg pirates are leaving. Gin would like to talk to you before he leaves." "I'll go see him then" Responded Vincent. After the battle had concluded the only thing that had kept the pirate crews from fighting had been Yamon and their wounded men. Now that nearly every wounded pirate had been treated most of the crews were leaving the island. They believed, and rightfully so, that Crescent Island was no longer safe.

Vincent walked up to Gin who was leaning against the wall of the pub/hospital, nursing a drink. "Yamon told me that you are leaving." "Yeah, I am. I can't join your crew. I know that by the rules of the contest you have the right to make me, if you beat Barry. But my crew needs me more." Replied Gin. "Will I be seeing you in the Grand Line?" asked Vincent in reply. "If my Captain ever wakes up, yeah. Now I have two people that I have to meet when I get there again. See you later." Said Gin as he walked away.

Vincent went into the Pub and walked up to Kaba. The Pub was still in business, the section that was being used to treat the wounded had been sectioned off with sheets. "So how was patrol Mr. Bigshot?" Asked Kaba jokingly. "We haven't seen any marines since the day before yesterday, which could be good or extremely bad. They might have given up, or they might be massing for an all out assault on the island. All the pirates on the island are worried about that, so they are all running away. I can't say that I blame them."

After conversing for a few minutes Vincent and Maka heard the partition sheets rustle. Maka had come through. "That's it. That is the very last pirate on the island treated." For having not slept in three days Maka looked pretty good. There were little bags under her eyes but she still moved with grace and energy. "Great, that'll just give the others more incentive to leave the island." Said Vincent exasperatedly. "They have no obligation to fight. They are just doing what most pirates are wont to do." Replied Kaba.

After about another half-hour of talking, Vincent ordered Maka to get some rest and went off to their prisoners. The Hopalong pirates were guarding Layton and his men. The prisoners had been stripped of all weapons and armor, and had all been bound quite thoroughly. Despite this they still had a full time guard, if they attempted to try anything. The equipment that had been taken from Layton and his men had been equally distributed to the various crews of the island. Layton and his men would stay here until Yamon and the remaining pirates could decide what to do to them.

Vincent walked up to Barry "Gin has left the island. Are you sure that you still want to go through with the last battle of the tournament? With only Maka, myself, and the Twin pirates you don't have much to gain from this." Said Vincent. "A gentlemen always honors his agreements." Replied Barry with a tip of his candy cane top-hat. "Has there been any consensus on what to do with this rabble?" asked Barry, indicating towards the prisoners. "Not any that I know of. Yamon has an idea but he says that he doesn't want to do it unless we cannot come to an agreement." Replied Vincent "I think that three days is long enough. Let's go see the old timer." Barry said to Vincent. With some final instructions to Saldik the two were off to find Yamon.

After some searching the two found Yamon consulting with one of the supply managers of the island. After the man walked away Yamon turned towards them "The look on your faces tells me that this is about our prisoners." "Yes, We have not come to any agreements between those of us that want to kill them and those of us that don't. We would like to hear your idea." Replied Vincent. "It appears as though my solution is after-all the best one. I am going to make them forget that they were ever marines. They will become the keepers of this island." Said Yamon with a sigh.

After a meeting with the remaining pirate captains everyone agreed that making them harmless without killing them was the best way to deal with them. This pleased the more vicious pirates because Layton and his men would be dying in a sense. This pleased the Peace-Maine pirates because the men would not be killed but would still have to pay for their crimes.

A few hours later every single one of Layton and his men had their Truth changed into something different. They were all irrevocably changed. Yamon gave each one a daily task to help maintain the island. Vincent understood why Yamon had not wished to do this. Each of the prisoners had had a personality, they had been individuals. Now they were just shells, empty headed drones that did what they were told, when they were told. Most people on the island were more than a little creeped out by these husks, and everyone on the island now understood how truly dangerous Yamon could be.

After the Layton and his men had been dealt with Vincent and Barry told Yamon that they wanted to finish the contest. Yamon made the announcement to the remaining pirates on the island. The only people who didn't know were the Twin Pirates and their crew, who were out on patrol. The time was set for noon the following day.

The next day was a beautiful one. Over the night more pirates had left the island. There were almost no other pirates left on the island besides the Twin pirates and the Hopalong pirates. However the contest went ahead as scheduled. Vincent had returned the Nobara Kahen to the display case with the other victory items. All the remaining people on the island, excluding Layton and his men, had come to watch the end of the tournament.

Vincent and Barry were facing one another on each side of the arena. Maka, Laupa, and Yamon had seated themselves at the judges seats one final time. Yamon stood "This is the final match of the tournament. I want a clean fight between the two of you. The winner will have claim to all that the other has. Begin." He didn't say it loudly but both contestants could hear him.

Vincent immediately went into Soru. Barry immediately transformed into his half-human, half-rabbit form and dashed towards Vincent. The two clashed in the middle of the arena with both of their weapons striking one another(Vincent had decided to use the Katana that Kaba had given him). Almost immediately there was a cracking then a shattering. Vincents sword could not stand up to the pressure of the impact and had been destroyed as a result.

Vincent tried to make some distance between himself and Barry by jumping back, but Barry pressed his advantage by following. "Rabbit Reaper!" Barry spun himself around and brought his foot down like a scythe so fast that the air created a blade like barrier between his heel and his target, which was Vincent's head. "Tekkai!" a drop of blood fell to the ground. Vincent had managed to bring his left arm up in time to intercept the blow. The attack had been so powerful that it still cut Vincent's arm, though not deeply. "Rankyaku jab" Vincent straightened out all of his fingers in his right hand and thrust it at Barry's chest. This happened so quickly that Barry was unable to dodge the attack completely, luckily Barry was able to pull himself back enough that only the shockwave reached him. The force of the blow threw Barry back ten feet.

Vincent followed and delivered a spinning kick to Barry's head just as he was landing. Barry rolled with the kick. Vincent immediately followed attempting to end the battle quickly. "Spike Wall!" Barry used the same technique that had defeated Layton. It caught Vincent by surprise. Vincent took several hits before he grabbed Barry's cane with his left hand. Using Soru brought a straight right punch right into Barry's face.

This second hit to Barry's head disoriented him. Vincent ripped Barry's cane from Barry's hand, and tripped him before he could react. Vincent pressed the tip of Barry's cane into Barry's neck. "I resign" Barry said. Both contestants realized that Vincent had gotten lucky. "Next time we fight it will be different." Said Barry while Vincent helped him up from the ground.

Yamon stood back up and said "The winner of the tournament is Vincent "The Last Spade" you may now choose anything or everything from the remaining pirate crews."


	15. Chapter 15

The Last Spade Chapter 15

Vincent stepped out of the Twin's pirate ship. There was no choice. He hadn't even inspected the Hopalong Pirates ship but he knew that he was going to choose that one. It was a miracle that the Twin pirates had managed to do as much as they had. Their ship was little more than a life raft. The lower deck was a combination of storage and sleeping quarters, the mast wasn't even high enough for a crows nest, and to top it all off it leaked!

Vincent had decided to just conglomerate the two crews along with Maka and himself together. He had decided to begin with an inspection of the ships, then the crew. Vincent made his way over to the Hopalong Pirates ship. It was a large sturdy ship, come to think of it Vincent had seen that design somewhere else. "It's a Marine ship!" Vincent exclaimed to his group. Karry, Perry, Barry, and Saldik were all following Vincent around along with Maka, as they now were considered his senior officers. "Yes, but I haven't seen a model like that in nearly fifteen years. Where did you find it?" inquired Maka to Barry and Saldik. "We stole it from a museum if you can believe it. They stopped making that model, because it was too costly. The structure is hyper reinforced, and the smaller size, compared to the standard battleship makes it more maneuverable. She came with a few tricks up her sleeve, and we added a few ourselves. Maintenance is a nightmare though." Replied barry.

The ship in question was about half the size of a Marine battleship, It was sleeker too. Instead of the roundish ship of a standard marine ship, this one was made to slice through the water rather than plow through it. The ship was black with a deep green trim. She was too small for three masts, but instead had two, both of which had weather proof crows nests. There were seven cannons in total three on each side and one on the Bow. The figurehead on the front was of a woman with a monstrous head sitting on a stone with her left hand on her chest. "We call Her 'The Siren'". Said Saldik with a hint of pride.

After a brief inspection Vincent knew that this was, without a doubt, the ship he wanted. This was one that could travers the grandline. Now it was time for the interviews. Vincent learned that Barry was the Navigator for the Hopalong Pirates and that Saldik was the Helmsman. The Hopalong pirates also had a doctor, a cook and an assistant, half of the crew was versed in the art of being a Shipwright, and finally Tilly was the musician. In total the Hopalong crew numbered twenty two including Barry and Saldik. The twin pirates on the other hand did not have any designated positions, and their crew only numbered seven including Karry and Perry.

It took some time and the bending of pride on the part of the prior officers, but eventually everyone was settled in their new positions. Vincent was the Captain, Maka the Vice-Captain and head Doctor, Karry began to study music under Tilly, Perry began to study cooking, and the rest of their crew began to study the general maintenance of the ship.

After all of that had been said and done Vincent called the new crew together to discuss the most important thing of all. "What should we call ourselves?" "Isn't Hopalong fine?" someone asked from the back, clearly a member a Barry's crew. "No. We need a new name. A memorable name." Snapped Vincent. "Well, captain do you have any suggestions?" asked Perry with no small amount of ire in his voice. He was not happy that Vincent had decided to scuttle his ship. "Well, I used to be a member of the Spade Pirates, so I think that our name and Jolly Roger should reflect that. Any suggestions?" said Vincent. "You used to be a member of THE Spade Pirates? As in you personally knew Firefist Ace?" Karry this time. "Yeah, that's actually why I decided to return to piracy. Now back to the topic at hand."

"What about the Club Pirates?" Young Tilly said this. "No, that sends the wrong message, but you are on the right track." Responded Vincent. "How about the Deck Pirates?" suggested Maka. "Maybe, it seems to be a little theme oriented. What do you guys think of The Cinder Pirates?" Vincent asked the crowd. They responded with a bunch of groans and thumbs down motions. "How about the Phoenix Pirates?" Saldik inquired from the sidelines. "Actually I really like that. What do you guys think?" asked Vincent to the group. This time nearly everyone was nodding in agreement. "Then it is decided, from this day forth we are the Phoenix Pirates!" Vincent shouted to everyone.

"Now what should our Jolly Roger look like?" Vincent asked the crowd. "How about this." Said Maka, as she handed over a piece of paper. Vincent looked down at the paper. There was a rough sketch of a firey bird with it wings half extended. Its tail feathers were narrow at the base and flared out at the tip. Going through the top was a Nodachi with a rough rose emblazoned on it. Coming down diagonally from the right was a pole-arm with the tip point up. Coming down diagonally from the left was a rough sketch of Barry's cane, perfectly straight, black, with a spherical ruby adorning the handle. The end result was what looke like a fire bird in the shape of an ace of spades was flying through the three weapons. "I love it. What do you guys think?" Vincent said as he passed the paper around. Again nearly everyone approved of it.

Soon the crew was at work making the Jolly Roger and emblazoning it on the front mast of the ship. While this was happening Yamon came up to Vincent and Barry who were discussing sleeping quarters (since Vincent was taking Barry's room) "I have a gift for you, I used it in my days of Piracy. You are going to need it if you are going to travel through the grand line." Yamon held a box out to Barry. "You young one had better become famous enough that I hear about you even all the way out here." Said Yamon with grin. Barry opened the box inside was a Log Pose. A more precious gift could not have been given. "Thank you. Yamon, I promise to be one of the most fearsome pirates on the sea. The whole world will know my name one day. That will be the day that I kill Admiral Akainu." Vincent said with conviction.

The next day the newly formed Phoenix pirates set sail from Crescent Island. Once they were far enough away from the island that they could no longer see it the News Coos started delivering. Saldik paid off the bird and unrolled the paper. "GUYS! You need to take a look at this!" Saldik ran over to the helm where Maka, Vincent and Barry were. As soon as he was there he slammed the paper over the navigational charts. Barry's complaint died before it even reached his mouth . MARINE ADMIRAL SAKAZUKI AKAINU PROMOTED TO FLEET ADMIRAL and in smaller headlines just below – MARINE ADMIRAL KUZAN AKOJI RESIGNES. The paper gave a detailed description of how the two admirals had fought for the position and the end result. Farther in the paper it described some of Akainu's announcements such as the relocation of Marine HQ.

The four were so engrossed in reading the paper they hadn't noticed that the waters around them had become calm, almost unnaturally so. "Tidal Wave!" The call came from the crows nest. The four of them looked up. The wave was still some ways off but it was massive and closing fast.

-End of Cresent Island Arc.

To everyone who is still reading. Thank you so much for sticking with my story. I love the fact that you all enjoy my story. Special thanks going out to BluePhoenix0101 and Animorph128 who have been reading longer than anyone else. I originally wanted to call the crew the Deck pirates but when the time came to cement the name, it just sounded stupid. More chapters will be coming out soon, and we are just getting started with this story.


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